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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224711">From Stone to Sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai'>Settiai</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Coming of Age, Dwarven Castes (Dragon Age), First Kiss, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Canon, The Black Emporium Exchange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:28:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,390</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The thought had never even crossed his mind until suddenly it had, and by that point in time it was much too late to pull back from the precipice.  Duran had already been falling for years without realizing it.  The only change was that, suddenly and without warning, he was aware that the ground under his feet wasn’t nearly as solid as he had thought.</p><p>And he had no idea what to do about it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Male Aeducan/Gorim Saelac</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Black Emporium 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>From Stone to Sky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missveils/gifts">missveils (Missveils)</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Duran longer than it should have to even realize that something had changed.</p><p>Gorim had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember, since they were both still young boys.  Duran might not have been the oldest, but he had always been his father's favorite, and it had not been left up to chance just who became his second.  There had been a short list of possibilities that had been slowly whittled down to only one, and once that decision had been made, Gorim's life had become interwoven with his own quite thoroughly.</p><p>Sometimes, looking back, it was difficult to remember a time when Gorim hadn't been there.  So many of Duran's childhood memories involved him.  They had been schooled together, trained in history and swordplay and everything else side-by-side.  Of course, Duran's training had been somewhat more in-depth, as was proper considering the difference in their castes, but Gorim had still been there at his side through all of it.</p><p>Once upon a time, Duran had joked that Gorim was the only thing more constant than his shadow.  It hadn't exactly been an untruth. </p><p>Trian and Bhelen might have been his brothers in blood, all of them sharing a father even if the mothers none of them remembered had not been the same.  They weren't the ones who had always been there for him, though.  They weren't the ones by his side the first time he had intentionally drawn blood with his blade.  They weren't the ones who helped him stumble home the first time he had gotten drunk or held his hair back as he became reacquainted with everything he had downed earlier in the evening.  They weren't the ones who got to see the true him, the not-quite-boy and not-quite-man who did his best to hide behind the proper mask of the nobility.</p><p>No, all of that had been Gorim.</p><p>Proper or not, Gorim was his closest friend and confidant.  How could he be anything but?  The two of them had grown up together.  Their lives had been intertwined quite thoroughly before they were even old enough to truly realize what it meant, two boys spending day in and day out together from their schooldays onward.  There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Gorim had helped shape the man he was well on his way to becoming, just as he had in turn helped shape the one Gorim would someday be.</p><p>Considering all of that, it probably shouldn't have caught Duran by surprise to realize that he'd fallen in love with him.  Still, he'd never exactly been the most observant.  The thought had never even crossed his mind until suddenly it had, and by that point in time it was much too late to pull back from the precipice.  Duran had already been falling for years without realizing it.  The only change was that, suddenly and without warning, he was aware that the ground under his feet wasn't nearly as solid as he had thought.</p><p>And he had no idea what to do about it.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>There wasn't some dramatic moment when Duran realized exactly how much he cared for Gorim.  It wasn't like the stories he'd grown up hearing, where a hero or paragon declared their love in the aftermath of a great battle after the specter of death looming over them had convinced them that not doing so would be a worse fate.  In fact, it was so anticlimactic that Duran almost didn't even notice the thought running through his head.<p>It was just another feast, not even a truly important one.  Duran was old enough now that he had to stay at least a few hours, but he was still considered enough of a youth that he was mostly ignored by the various men, women, and others wandering the banquet hall.  He made his bows to the king as he entered the room, letting everyone there see him and just as promptly forget him, save for perhaps his father.  Even as he slipped away to find a shadowy corner to hide in, Duran could feel King Endrin's eyes on him.</p><p>Sometimes it felt like he could always feel the king's eyes on him.</p><p>Trian was years older than him, already a man in everyone's eyes, and he didn't even spare his younger brother a glance as he made his way around the room attempting and mostly failing to play the game that was politics in Orzammar.  And Bhelen could still get away with only making a cursory appearance at the very beginning of the feast before being allowed to escape back to his rooms, despite there being barely more than a year's difference in age between him and Duran.</p><p>It was the privilege of being the youngest, Duran supposed.  Or perhaps it was just that Bhelen, while the most politically astute of all of them, had never quite managed to earn their father's favor the same way his older brothers had.  Trian's mother had been a noble and Endrin's queen, if only for a short time before her death, and Duran's had been their father's lover of many years even if she had never been able to truly rule at his side due to the difference in their castes.  But Bhelen, he was the son of a casteless noble hunter, saved from being casteless himself by the sole luck of being born a son and not a daughter.</p><p>There would always be some who looked down on him for that.</p><p>Whatever the case, Bhelen could get away with barely even being seen before escaping from the hustle and bustle that was one of King Endrin's feasts.  Duran, on the other hand, could not.  No matter how much he might have wished otherwise.</p><p>Still, Duran was alone and ignored as usual for one of these events.  He couldn't help but admit that he preferred it that way.  He was better at politics than Trian, despite his youth, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.  If the other dwarven nobles were going to underestimate him, then he was happy to let them for as long as he could.</p><p>It wasn't as if he was a child.  He was already of age and had been for months now, and in a few short years he'd probably be given his own command, if only a small one.  If they were foolish enough to look over him, it was their own folly.</p><p>Admittedly, it did grate his pride a bit, being ignored as if he was nothing and no one, but he could put up with it.  They'd get their comeuppance eventually, once they realized that he was more than they'd took him to be.  And until then, well, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to not have to play the game nonstop like Trian did.  He would have to eventually.  There was no need to start earlier than he had to.</p><p>"You look like you could use this."</p><p>Duran glanced over at Gorim, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his mouth twitching in amusement as he took the drink being held out towards him.  He'd been all but hiding in a corner almost since the moment he had arrived, and he'd been starting to think that no one had even noticed him slip into the shadows.  He should have known Gorim had seen him.</p><p>He always did, after all.</p><p>"You, my friend, are a lifesaver," Duran said, giving Gorim a quick grin.  Then he downed half the ale in the mug in a single gulp.</p><p>Gorim snorted.  "And you're going to be the death of me if you keep drinking like that," he pointed out.  "You only have to stay another hour or so.  Maybe trying sipping?  We can slip out to a tavern once you're done here."</p><p>If anything, Duran's grin grew even wider.  "That's why I love you," he said.  "You always have such good plans."</p><p>If Duran hadn't known Gorim as well as he did, he never would have noticed the very faint flush that appeared on his face.  It disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, as if Gorim forced whatever caused it down by sheer force of will, which – to be fair – was probably the case.</p><p>"Yes, well, I better make another trip around the room," Gorim said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.  "I doubt anyone would try anything in the palace itself, but you never know."</p><p>And then he was gone, hurrying away as if there were darkspawn on his tail.</p><p>Duran's grin faded as confusion flooded through him.  He wasn't a genius, not like some, but he wasn't a fool either.  He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd just missed something.  But what?</p><p>He quickly thought back over the past few minutes, trying to put his finger on what had gone wrong.  Had he said something?  Done something?  The only thing he had said was... was...</p><p>Oh.  <em>Oh.</em></p><p>Duran's gaze snapped towards Gorim, who was slowly and carefully making his way around the room in the same pattern as several of the guards and other seconds.  His movements weren't quite as smooth and unobtrusive as some of the older dwarves, but – considering just how much younger he was than some of them – he was well on his way towards surpassing them.  He truly was one of the best seconds a dwarf could have.</p><p>
  <em>That's why I love you.</em>
</p><p>Duran hadn't thought anything of the words as they'd left his mouth.  They'd felt natural.  Gorim was his best friend, his second, one of the only constants in his life.  Of course he loved him.  Maybe he'd never said it before, but actions spoke louder than words, and surely Gorim knew that he cared for him.  They'd grown up together.  How could he not?</p><p>Unless...</p><p>His mind snapped back to the way Gorim's face had reddened for just a moment before he'd wrestled it back under control.  He'd only seen him blush like that once, a few years earlier, when Gorim had admitted to him that he'd found himself attracted to one of the warriors the two of them had seen fight in the proving.  Duran hadn't quite gotten it at the time, still young enough to be focused on the weapons connecting with each other than the well-built dwarves holding them, but then Gorim had always been faster than him when it came to things like that.</p><p>And that was a thought.</p><p>Duran let his gaze follow Gorim as he circled the room, his steps slowing as he reached the opposite side. They had literally not gone more than a day or two at a time without seeing each other since they were children, but it felt almost like he was seeing him for the very first time.  He was well on his way to growing a proper beard, not the light scruff that still covered Duran's face, and he'd lost much of the boyish roundness that still clung to Duran's form.</p><p>He wasn't a full-grown man yet, even though he was technically of age, but he was well on his way to being one.  A very handsome one at that, now that Duran was properly looking at him.</p><p>Across the room, Gorim looked towards him.  For just a moment, their eyes met, and Duran felt a warm rush of <em>something</em> low in his gut.  This time, he was the one who quickly looked away, thankful for the first time that the darker coloring that had always set him aside from his brothers hid the flush that he could feel making its way across his face.</p><p>Duran wasn't an idiot.  He was a noble, second son to King Endrin himself.  Gorim was a warrior.  Nothing official could ever come of it, not with them being of difference castes and no chance of a child between them to bind them together.</p><p>Still, they were young, and neither of them would be expected to marry for years.  Just because something more official was off the table didn't mean they couldn't perhaps come to some other arrangement.  That is, if Gorim was even interested.  For all Duran knew, he was misinterpreting absolutely everything that his friend had just said and done.</p><p>He quickly took another swig of his ale at that thought.</p><p>Damn it.  It was supposed to be just a normal feast.  How had everything suddenly gotten so complicated?</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>Three weeks later, Duran hadn't worked up the courage to say a word to Gorim.  Well, not about anything <em>important</em>, at least.  Life went on as normal.<p>Every now and then, Duran would catch Gorim looking at him with an unreadable look on his face out of the corner of his eye, and his heart would leap up into this throat.  But then nothing out of the ordinary would happen, and Gorim would treat him the exact same as he always had.</p><p>Part of him wondered if he'd let his imagination run away with him.  Oh, he knew that <em>he</em> felt something when he looked at Gorim that was more than just friendship, but maybe it was entirely one-sided.  Maybe his mind had taken a leap and seen things that weren't there in an attempt to calm him down after his sudden realization that he had apparently fallen for his second without even noticing.</p><p>It would probably be easier that way, if he was honest with himself.</p><p>Still, Duran had never been the type to just let things go.  He was going to have to come out and say something about it, if only so he could push his own inconvenient feelings to the side.  And it was going to have to be him that made the first move.  Gorim was too proper to say anything considering the difference in their castes, not unless Duran did something to let him know he was safe to do.</p><p>If he wanted anything to change, he was going to have to at least bring up the subject.  Whether he liked it or not.</p><p>Duran sighed.  "Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?" he muttered under his breath as he walked into his quarters.  "Just for once, I'd love for my life to be simple."</p><p>"Did you say something?" a very familiar voice asked from behind him, making it very clear that his grumbled complaint hadn't been nearly as quiet as he'd meant for it to be.</p><p>Duran blanched at the sound of Gorim's question, but he quickly schooled his face.  Years of lessons had taught him how to hide his true feelings, at least.  "Just complaining about life in general," he said with forced brightness, turning around to meet Gorim's gaze.  "You know.  The usual."</p><p>Something flickered across Gorim's face, there and gone so quickly that Duran barely had a chance to process it, but he was fairly certain it looked like doubt.  Which, to be honest, wasn't all that unexpected.  Duran might have been taught for years how to school his emotions and hide behind a mask, but Gorim had been sitting in the same room with him for the majority of those lessons</p><p>If anyone could see through to what he was hiding, it would be Gorim. Which... probably complicated things even more, now that Duran was thinking about it.</p><p>"What's the plan for this evening?" Duran asked, forcing down the sheer panic that was suddenly flooding through him at the thought that maybe Gorim could see more than he'd realized.  "Are you still stuck attending that family dinner?"</p><p>Gorim made a face.  "Unfortunately," he said with a nod.  "I suspect that it was my mother's idea.  My younger brother has started courting the middle daughter of some house or another, so she's got it into her head that she needs to start trying to find a proper wife for me."</p><p>Duran did his best to hide just what he thought about that idea from appearing on his face.  Judging by the way Gorim's eyes twinkled, he suspected that he hadn't succeeded quite as well as he'd intended.  Or maybe Gorim really did just know him too well.  Either was a possibility.</p><p>"I know, I know," Gorim said with a laugh.  "Don't worry so much.  I'm going to tell her that I'm too busy with my position as your second to properly court anyone, and I'm sure that Father will back me up.  He knows what it's like, having to put your lord first.  That's why he didn't marry until he was almost twice my age, after all."</p><p>A wave of relief rushed through Duran, but he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of guilt as well.  "If you want to court someone, don't let me stop you," he said.  "I want you to be happy."</p><p>Gorim's gaze sharpened, his eyes focusing in on Duran's face.  The smile on his face faded a bit, shifting to something much more complicated.  Then he shook his head.  "Oh no, don't you start," he said.  "You're as bad as my mother, trying to get me married off to some hypothetical woman that I don't even know."</p><p>Duran gave him a weak grin.  "I mean it," he said.  "I don't want you to start looking back at everything you missed out on and regret being my second one of these years."</p><p>Gorim rolled his eyes at him.  "There's little chance of that, my lord," he said, putting a bit more emphasis on the last word than he usually did.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should probably be going unless I wish to upset my mother by being late."</p><p>"Neither of us wants that," Duran shot back, gladly taking the peace offering that Gorim was offering to get them out of an awkward conversation and back on more normal footing.  "Your mother terrifies me."</p><p>"My mother terrifies everyone, up to and including King Endrin," Gorim said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  "Why do you think my father married her?"</p><p>Duran let out a theatrical sigh before reaching out and pushing at Gorim.  "Go on, get out of here," he said with a laugh that was almost real.  "I'm not letting you blame me for being late."</p><p>Gorim let out a sigh of his own.  "Betrayed by my own lord," he said, bringing his hand up to rest over his chest.  "However shall I find the strength to go on?"</p><p>"By not giving your mother a reason to murder said lord," Duran replied dryly.  "Now go already.  I'll see you in the morning."</p><p>Duran all but pushed Gorim out of the room, trying not to laugh at how obviously the dwarf wasn't even remotely trying to resist.  They might have been at least somewhat joking, but there was a hint of truth to it.  As much as they both respected her, the current lady of House Saelac was more than a little intimidating.</p><p>Gorim knocked into the small table by the door as he headed out, quickly reaching out to steady it as some of the small knickknacks on it clattered on the stone and threatened to fall to the floor.  Then, with a quick wave, he was gone and heading down the hallway.</p><p>As soon as he was out of sight, Duran let his forced joviality fade away.  He walked over to the door and pulled it closed, carefully locking it from the inside and setting up the small bells along the top that would alert him if anyone tried to enter without him knowing.</p><p>Most dwarves would call him paranoid.  He preferred to think of it as being cautious.</p><p>Then he turned his attention to the table that Gorim had knocked into, frowning a bit as he did.  It wasn't like his second to be clumsy, not without a fair number of drinks in him, and that table had been sitting in that exact position for years.  What could have possibly—</p><p>Duran's breath caught in his throat.</p><p>There was a small, wrapped package sitting on the table that Duran was absolutely certain hadn't been there earlier.  The paper was plain and unadorned, save for a single golden thread that was tied in an intricate knot at the top.</p><p>He supposed that answered his question as to whether or not it had just been his imagination.  Gorim wasn't the type to leave a gift for no reason, and there wasn't a doubt in Duran's mind where the box had come from.</p><p>Besides, he recognized a courting gift when he saw one.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>It was a struggle to convince Gorim to simply <em>kiss him</em>.<p>Whatever it was between them had been going on for months now, a mixture of more-than-friendship and not-quite-r that regularly alternated between leaving Duran contended and frustrated – and sometimes a combination of both at the same time.  It was as if everything had changed and nothing had changed, and it was driving him somewhat insane.  Part of him wanted to push, but every time he tried it was as if Gorim moved further and further away.  And that wasn't worth any price.</p><p>Oh, Duran. knew what the issue was.  Gorim was hesitant to move too quickly, especially since he knew nothing official between them would ever be possible.  He was worried about doing something both of them would regret.  Duran could even understand it.  He'd been the one who had suggested that Gorim let his mother find him a nice woman to properly court, after all, even if he had mostly said it in gest.</p><p>Things in Orzammar worked a certain way.  They always had and they always would.  Change wasn't something that came quickly or easily, and it wasn't anything that either of them expected.  It would be what it would be, and nothing either of them did would change it.</p><p>Whatever it was between them, it couldn't be what it might have been if they'd both been from the same caste.  It wasn't possible.  And that made it difficult.  Where did you draw the line when you knew exactly what the future held?  It wasn't an easy decision to make, knowing that – at the very least – you'd eventually have to share someone you cared about with a spouse.</p><p>But for the love of the Ancestors, if Gorim didn't bend at least a little, Duran was going to strangle him with his own bare hands.  It wasn't exactly doing anything good for his frustration levels either.</p><p>Which probably wasn't idea, all things considered.</p><p>"You should have let me wipe the floor with him," Duran muttered as he stomped down the hallway, not even glancing back to see if Gorim was following him.  If he did, he'd see Trian's smug face, and he was fairly certain that he would do something rash if he did.  Like punch his older brother.  Again.</p><p>"Yes, that would have gone over well," Gorim said dryly, his voice coming from directly behind Duran.  "I can see it now, you trying to explain to King Endrin why two of his adult sons were brawling in the middle of the palace."</p><p>Duran let out a snarl as he stormed towards his quarters.  The two guards standing outside shared a look before quickly stepping aside, and he thought that he caught a glimpse of at least one of them flinching as he shoved the doors open.  "Sometimes I wonder how I can even be related to that nug humping son of a—"</p><p>Gorim quickly pushed the doors closed, and Duran cut off his rant to turn to glare at him.  "You should have let me finish," he said.  "I'm sure the guards would love to hear just what I think about Trian right now."</p><p>"Everyone in the palace knows what you think about your brother right now," Gorim said, rolling his eyes and dropping the last pretense of formality that he'd still been holding onto outside of Duran's quarters.  "You do realize that you almost broke his nose, don't you?"</p><p>"If you hadn't held me back, there wouldn't be any almost about," Duran grumbled.  He could feel the anger that had been rushing through him already starting to fade, though, replaced with something more akin to sheepishness.  "He shouldn't have said that about Bhelen, and you know it.  He's still our younger brother, no matter who he mother was or who he chooses to share a bed with."</p><p>The corners of Gorim's mouth twisted upwards into a smile, there and gone so quickly that Duran wouldn't have even seen it if he hadn't been looking.  "It's not my place to comment on what nobles do or don't do."</p><p>Duran snorted before walking over to a nearby chair and dropping down into it.  "I probably shouldn't have punched him, should I?" he asked, reaching up to play with one of the braids dangling down at the side of his face.</p><p>"Probably not," Gorim said, shaking his head.  "I expect your father will have something to say to both of you when he hears the news."</p><p>"Nothing new there," Duran muttered.</p><p>Gorim didn't argue, which probably said more than any words could have.  The older they got, the clearer the differences between Endrin's three sons were becoming.  It was an open secret that neither Duran or Bhelen got along particularly well with Trian, and there were more than a few rumors being bandied about as to just what that meant for Orzammar's future.  Especially considering Trian’s ineptitude at politics in comparison to his younger brothers.</p><p>Duran groaned and buried his face in his hands.</p><p>There was silence for a long moment before Gorim sighed.  Then Duran heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him.</p><p>He kept his face hidden.  It was easier that way.</p><p>"I'm supposed to keep you out of trouble," Gorim said, his voice coming from much closer than Duran had expected it.  "If you keep this up, you're going to make my job impossible."</p><p>Duran reluctantly pulled his hands down.  Gorim had knelt down in front of him and was watching him closely.</p><p>"I'm just keeping you on your toes," Duran said, trying to keep his voice light.  "I wouldn't want you to get out of practice."</p><p>Gorim snorted.  "I'm sure."</p><p>Duran was tempted to lean forward and just kiss him right on the lips.  They'd been dancing around the subject for weeks now, if not longer, and sometimes the easiest way through a knot was simply cutting it.  The last thing he wanted to do was break whatever it was forming between them before it had a chance to finish being crafted, though, and he knew there was a definite chance that moving too fast might do just that.</p><p>Patience had never been one of his strong points.  Then again, his lack of patience was the exact reason he'd punched his oldest brother just a short ten minutes or so earlier.  Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give it at least some practice.</p><p>Gorim let out a huff that almost sounded as if he was trying not to laugh.  Knowing him, it was probably exactly what it sounded like.  "I have something for you."</p><p>"Something for me?" Duran asked teasingly.  "You shouldn't have."</p><p>Gorim reached inside the pouch he wore at his side, pulling out a suspiciously dagger-shaped bundle of cloth that was tied with a familiar gold thread.  "Believe me," he replied, "if I'd known you were going to start a fist fight in the main hall, I wouldn't have.  Unfortunately, it's too late to return it."</p><p>Duran's eyebrows went up.  "I'm hurt," he said.  "Hurt, I tell you."</p><p>"I'm sure you are," Gorim replied dryly.</p><p>There wasn't much that Duran could say to that, so he simply shrugged instead.</p><p>"If you keep getting me presents, I'm going to start making assumptions," Duran said lightly, even as he reached out to take the gift that was clearly being offered.  "It almost seems like you're trying to court me, Warrior Saelac."</p><p>Gorim's mouth twitched again with that familiar hint of a smile that most people never even noticed.  "I always said you were more perceptive than people thought." </p><p>Duran opened his mouth to reply, not entirely certain what he was going to say but well aware that he couldn't <em>not</em> reply to that considering it somehow managed to be both a compliment and an insult at the exact same time.  But before he could say a word, Gorim leaned in and kissed him.</p><p>And after that, well, talking was overrated.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>Even though he knew no one else could possibly know the story behind it, if they even noticed the new addition to his wardrobe at all, Duran couldn't help but feel as if everyone he passed was staring at the intricately designed thumb ring that he now wore.  It felt heavy on his finger, but that was to be expected.  It was a question and a promise both, neither of which were meant to be taken lightly.<p>It wasn't the first gift that Gorim had given him since they'd started their quiet courtship the previous year, nor was it likely to be the last.  It felt different than some of the others, though.  More personal.  More important.</p><p>Gorim was one of the few who knew about Duran's fondness for archery, despite its lack of popularity in Orzammar and the Deep Roads that surrounded it.  A bow wasn't considered a proper dwarven weapon, not like a sword, axe, or even a dagger - anything with a blade, even.  Oh, there were some that used arrows, because fighting from a distance was a necessity sometimes against the darkspawn, but it wasn't popular by any means.</p><p>Duran tended to stick with the traditional when it came to his weapons while he was in the public eye: a sword for formal combat and daggers for more casual moments.  He still trained with a bow whenever he could, though, albeit in the smaller, oft-forgotten areas of the training halls where he'd be less likely to draw attention.</p><p>It meant a lot that not only had Gorim noticed, but he had specifically chosen a ring meant for an archer as a gift.</p><p>"Want to have a few drinks in my rooms tonight instead of heading out to the tavern?" Duran asked, glancing behind him at Gorim.  "I know that berserker has bothered you the last few times we've gone out."</p><p>Gorim shrugged.  "That sounds good to me, my lord," he said.  "Maybe we could—"</p><p>"That's a nice ring, big brother."</p><p>Duran didn't quite trip over his own feet, but it was a close thing.  He definitely stumbled slightly, and if it hadn't been for Gorim's hand reaching out to quickly grab his shoulder then it might have ended differently.  As it was, he came to an awkward halt just outside the door to Bhelen's quarters as he turned and glared at his younger sibling.</p><p>Bhelen just grinned at him with a completely unapologetic look on his face as he leaned against the doorframe.</p><p>"I can't help but notice that it matches those ear cuffs you started wearing a few weeks ago," Bhelen said, his voice much too innocent for Duran to mistake it for anything but completely intentional.  "Not to mention that lovely cloak with the—"</p><p>"Can I help you with something, Bhelen?" Duran asked dryly.</p><p>If anything, Bhelen's grin grew even wider.  "No, no, I don't need anything," he said.  "I just wanted to compliment on your apparel."  His eyes moved past Duran, clearly focusing in on Gorim standing behind him as his ever constant shadow.  "It's quite... noble, wouldn't you say?"</p><p>Duran could practically hear Gorim tensing behind him.  He sighed, mentally pushing his plans of having a quiet dinner and drinks in his quarters to another night, since there was no chance of it happening now.  Gorim never reacted well to reminders of the difference in their castes, even though both of them had known going in that House Aeducan would never allow anything formal to come of their courtship.</p><p>"Let's take this out of the hallway, shall we?" Duran suggested, letting a hint of the irritation he was feeling seep into his voice.</p><p>Bhelen at least had the good grace to deflate a little at the obvious annoyance being aimed his way.  He merely nodded and stepped aside so that Duran could come through the doorway.</p><p>In the hallway, Gorim shifted awkwardly in place.  "Perhaps I should—"</p><p>"Oh, come in already," Bhelen said, rolling his eyes.  He leaned forward and lowered his voice.  "I've known for months that the two of you are fucking, and I'm pretty sure it's been going on longer than that.  I think it's about time we talk about, don't you?"</p><p>Gorim frowned before following Duran into Bhelen's quarters.  "It's nothing so crude," he said, his voice as polite as always when speaking to someone from a higher class than him.  Anyone who didn't know him that well probably wouldn't hear the veiled anger hidden behind his calm tone, but Duran could tell it was there.</p><p>Judging by the way Bhelen's face paled, just slightly, so could he.  "Sorry, sorry," he said.  "I didn't mean it like that.  You both know me."</p><p>Duran rolled his eyes.  "Yes, we do, which is why I know damn well you don't say anything unless there's a reason for it," he said, shooting Bhelen a pointed look.  He liked his younger brother most of the time, unlike Trian, but he was well aware that Bhelen was much more of a politician than he would ever be.  "Why don't you skip ahead to what you want, Bhelen?"</p><p>He caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly glanced that way.  He wasn't particularly surprised to see a woman disappearing from sight into Bhelen's bedroom, that quick glimpse enough for him to see the familiar brand on her face.  That wasn't anything new either.  It wouldn't be the first time Bhelen had brought a casteless into his bed, and Duran doubted it would be the last.</p><p>His younger brother had never been quite as circumspect as Duran when it came to his private affairs.</p><p>"I was just curious."</p><p>Duran turned back towards Bhelen at that, his eyebrows going up.  Behind Bhelen, near the now closed door, Gorim's face was mirroring his.</p><p>"Curious?" Duran repeated.  "About what, exactly?"</p><p>Bhelen shrugged.  "About the two of you," he replied.  Then he smirked.  "But I think that I've already got my answer."</p><p>Behind him, Gorim scowled but didn't say anything.  He wouldn't.  It wouldn't be proper.  And despite everything, Gorim still clung tightly to propriety.</p><p>Duran sighed.  "Bhelen."</p><p>"I interrupted the two of you," Bhelen said, stepping to the side and gesturing at the door.  "You should get back to those drinks."</p><p>Duran stared at his younger brother, narrowing his eyes.  After a long moment, Bhelen's face relaxed a little.  "I was just curious if it was something casual or if it was more than that," he said.  "Now I know."</p><p>Gorim's scowl faded into something less easily read.  He shifted in place, clearly uncomfortable.</p><p>If it had been just him and Bhelen, Duran would have pushed until his brother told him exactly what was going on.  He wasn't an idiot.  He knew there was something more in play, an important piece of the puzzle that he hadn't found yet.  Bhelen had to have something planned, for him to want to know for certain what was going on between Duran and Gorim.  He wouldn't have admitted that he knew about it otherwise.</p><p>But it wasn't just them, was it?</p><p>"Come on, Gorim," Duran said quietly, reaching out to touch Gorim's arm.  He didn't let it linger, well aware that his second wouldn't be comfortable with more than that, but it was enough.  Gorim immediately relaxed at his touch, if only a little.</p><p>With one more look back at Bhelen, the feeling that he was missing <em>something</em> still playing at the back of his mind, they headed for the door.  Gorim stepped out into the hallway first, clearly eager to put the conversation behind him.</p><p>After a moment's hesitation, Duran followed.</p><p>Once they were in the hallway, Duran leaned in close.  "Ignore Bhelen," he said softly, his voice barely even a whisper.  "He's just playing games."</p><p>"That's what worries me," Gorim said with a frown.</p><p>Neither of them spoke again until they reached the privacy of Duran's quarters.  What they both had to say wasn't for anyone else's ears.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>Duran's forehead burned where Gorim had pressed his lips against it through the bars of the cell.  After all of the gifts he'd given him over the past few years, he couldn't help but think that this final one – however fleeting compared to the previous ones – would be the one he'd treasure the most.<p>"We'll meet again," he said quietly.  "I know we will.  I'll make it to the surface, and I'll find you."</p><p>Gorim swallowed.  "I'll wait for you," he replied, and Duran felt his heart break because he could <em>hear</em> the lie in his second's voice just then.  They both knew the odds were he'd be waiting for a shade that would never find its way back to him.  "I will always love you, my lord."</p><p>Duran reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it as tight as he could if only for one more moment.  "I love you too," he said firmly.  "Wait for me.  I'll find you.  I promise I will."</p><p>He could see the doubt in Gorim's eyes, just as he could hear the way his own voice wavered, but Gorim didn't call him out on it.  He merely nodded, squeezing Duran's hand one last time before letting go.</p><p>Who knew?  Maybe they would find each other again.  There were stranger things recorded in the Stone after all.  Nothing was impossible.  Duran had to believe that.  He was fairly certain he would shatter if he didn't.</p><p>"Until we meet again on the surface, my lord," Gorim said softly.</p><p>And then he turned and walked away.</p><p>Duran closed his eyes.  He could still feel the imprint of Gorim's lips on his skin.</p><p>They'd meet again.  They had to.  This couldn't be how it ended.  He refused to believe this was how it ended.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on Twitter. (https://twitter.com/settiai)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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